The "Wants"

In my line of work I'm in alot of peoples homes. Some are nicely decorated, while others are in need of the decorating and paint,  which is why Im usually there. I started faux painting when I was in my teens, so of course, I couldn't afford what was in most of my client's homes. Doing this, day in and day out, you start to develop the "wants". I want that couch, I want that house, I want this, and that, and I realized very quickly, that it just made me feel bad about what I did have. 

I remembered the 10 commandments from child hood, the 10th commandment says, "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbors house, nor anything else that belongs to him.". 

I think this day in age, this is a hard commandment to follow. Especially with the invention of Pinterest. The goal is to pin stuff you love, stuff you want to buy, or stuff you want to make (but usually don't have time to do). Luckily most of us know we are not going to be able to afford, the 4 bedroom beach house, and all the amazing decor inside. But its great inspiration for what we are able to afford, or make. 

By now I have a house I love...well I'm making it into the house I love, and the wants are gone. 

Well sort-of. 

I think I have always tried to make do with the budget I have, and my taste and style, and make it work for me. Thankfully the eclectic style is really in, and cheap, cause that's what I've been doing for years!

The area where I struggle with this the most, is at the model homes I work on. Most model homes, are your basic, run-of-the-mill decor. Stuff you would find at the local shopping stop. Usually leans a bit toward cheesy, but you still like the overall feel of the house. This is not the case with some of my favorite decorating ladies, at Dy Lynne Decor. Dy Lynne, and Janet are a perfect team. They take your basic decor elements, pair it with antiques, found objects, amazing paint treatments (thanks to me, lol), high end furniture, and work it all in together. This turns it into more of a home, than a house to me. You really walk into these spaces feeling like it was collected, over time, and it was. Some of it sitting in a warehouse until just the right moment, some picked up at antique shows, and others taken from houses, her husband  Jack Dabney, a local builder, has torn down, or remodeled. 

This en-lies the problem,  it would be hard to track down some of the things I love, or to even find a duplicate, and I love sooo much of what they do. I have been known to tell the girls, they may not see some of the items when they show up the next day.
The last house I did with them, I could have moved in...literally. I wanted everything in there!! I have since remembered the 10th commandment , and I'm working on it :)

I can't wait to show you pictures from that house. 

But for now..here is another fabulous model I worked on with these girls.
This is a Monticello Home, in the Stone Oak area of San Antonio.

The beautiful dining room. I loved this room, it makes such a statement when you first walk through the front door. The paneling had great detail, and above that, a deep blue grass cloth (I need some of this).

 

The living room space, is open to most of the down stairs, so she used the same color scheme through out, and added some different kinds of elements and textures in each room, to tie them all together.

The mirror above this piece of furniture is so unique. It is aged, in a lace patterned design, amazing. This is one of those, one-of-a-kind things. 

This kitchen feels so light and open, you just want to pull up a stool, and have a meal.

Clearly, I love the color blue, but I like how it really pops in here, with the softer neutral colors. It is still soothing, and is easily changeable with seasons or styles, since it is such a small piece of the room.

Another great aged mirror, over the black dresser. The deep blue chaise is the perfect resting spot after a long day, all you need is a good book, and a glass of wine. To bad it's just a model home!

The master bathroom in this house was huge, bigger than most of the models we work in. 

Again they made great use of the mirrors in here.  It opens the room up even more, brings in the light, and gives the illusion,that is is larger.  There are two large, separate vanities. The shower is behind the tub, you can walk all the way through, and if you saw this bathtub, you would have locked the door, and started running the water. 

This is a less formal living area tucked just outside of the kitchen. It is still open, but feels cozy and secluded. She made great use of wood, on this back wall, with the lap board. This giant piece of a tree root, makes a unique design item and brings in the wood elements from the other rooms.

The laundry room is not a space where we want to spend alot of time, ladies you understand. The truth is though, we are in there more than we ever thought we would be... how can kids go through soooo many clothes! Mind as well make it a pretty spot, you enjoy coming into. 

I hand painted a quote above the window in a navy blue, which got a small pleated shade treatment.

The entryway of a house should of course make a statement, I think this one defiantly does. The whole stairwell is open to the upstairs. There is a settee to the left, and a great table to drop your keys and purse at, to the right. Love these gold finished glass lamps. I think I actually screamed when I saw them!

Upstairs there is a open loft area, with a pool table, and bar. There is also a amazing theater room off to the side, with a giant T.V., and a sectional. I think it may be hard to get potential buyers of of that room.

There are three bedrooms upstairs as well. 

This is the first girls room. A soft color palette, and this is such a gorgeous wallpaper. It looks like its hand painted. 

This is the other girls room. 

I am in love with the wallpaper! Bird cages and birds, and flowers, and lots of color., how could you not be?

She took the doors off the closet, and added some more square footage to the bedroom. There is now a fun little seating area, and even a chandelier. I hand painted some designs on the back wall to mimic the wallpaper, bird cages, and flowers. The bed was originally a rod iron look with some silver accents. To tie it in with the gold pieces in the room, I painted certain areas with a gold leaf finish. 

Lastly the boys room, with a neutral, vintage flare.

If you have the "wants" too, your not alone. Just remember the 10th commandment!